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Please note that this blog is for informational purposes only, and should not be seen as medical advice. I am not a medical professional — if you're seeking medical advice or have questions about your treatment, please consult your doctor or lymphedema therapist.

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After spending weeks poring over the book, highlighter in hand, and adapting its guidelines to my own eating patterns, I feel I can confidently share my thoughts with you all: if you have lymphedema or lipedema, read this book.

If you are a caregiver or lymphedema therapist, read this book.

If you’re a friend or family member who’s looking to support your loved one—you guessed it!—read this book.

The Lymphedema and Lipedema Nutrition Guide is a helpful reference book for what to eat and what to avoid, but more than that, it’s a great education in nutrition and the body.

The book doesn’t present its guidelines blindly, but rather with comprehensive information on the why‘s of its suggestions, based on published medical research and presented by experts in lymphedema and lipedema treatment, nutrition research, and behavior change.

There’s a whole chapter on the physiology of food choices, specific to lymphedema and lipedema patients—I love that! It’s fascinating to learn about the inner workings of the digestive system, and knowing how certain foods affect your body gives great context for the food recommendations that follow.

The authors don’t use the word “diet” because short-term diets are not healthy or sustainable; it’s more about healthy eating patterns and proper nutrition, combined with your regular treatment plan. Like the title says, the book is a guide, so it’s meant to be adapted to your personal nutrition and medical needs along with your healthcare team. They don’t purport to “cure” your condition, but they do give you the tools to support your health and alleviate your symptoms, and the knowledge to know why.

One of the things that really impresses me about this book is the wide variety of backgrounds and experiences of the authors. Their multiple perspectives and collective expertise is what makes this book so well-rounded and thorough: it’s not just a nutritionist writing this, but three; it’s not just one author with professional experience in lymphedema, but five. One of the authors is even a clinical psychologist who specializes in health-related behavior changes, which means there’s a lot of much-needed attention given to the emotional and psychological factors of living with lymphedema and lipedema throughout the book.

This book is nothing if not thorough, with chapters covering everything from meal plan ideas and shopping guides to tips for when you’re eating out, not to mention the extensive list of recommended foods and vitamins. It also outlines a number of suggestions for making the transition to healthier eating in a realistic way, ensuring that you can successfully make these changes and stick with them, too. Changing your eating patterns is no easy feat, but the authors do a great job in helping you every step of the way!

I can’t stress enough how grateful I am for this book and how empowered it’s made me feel, and reading it has been incredibly enlightening. The Lymphedema and Lipedema Nutrition Guide has become my nutrition bible: I consult it while I make my grocery lists; I check it before heading out to eat with friends; I refer to it for meal ideas at home. Because I have digestive disorders, I haven’t been able to follow the book’s guidelines to a T, but there’s a lot of wiggle room for adapting their recommendations in a way that works for me, and I have noticed improvement in my lymphedema symptoms as a result.

This book has me feeling like I’ve finally found the missing piece to my lymphedema treatment: nutrition. If you’re looking to find that missing piece, too, then I definitely recommend you pick up a copy!

Alexa is a writer, book hoarder, and cat enthusiast from Baltimore, MD. By day, she works in the marketing and communications department for a large health system; by night, she runs The Lymphie Life. Learn more about her here!

Hi Alexa,
Thank you for the review. I am going to try to find the book here in South Africa. For now I was wondering whether eating little to no meat, and excluding diary and wheat is generally what the book suggests. I eat animal protein but keep it low since that is what scientific findings recommend for cancer prevention, together with that I don’t do so well with dairy (digestion difficulties) and I don’t like eggs.

Until I can get the book I just wanted to know how to go about my food/eating habits. I was diagnosed less than a week ago and am busy learning.

Hi, Tina,
I’m sorry to hear about your recent diagnosis – however, we’ve got a great online community here to welcome you and offer support! :)

I do hope you’re able to get a copy of this book! I’ve found it to be incredibly helpful myself, and a great addition to my treatment plan. There are links in the post for online ordering – hopefully you’re able to find one that ships to you.